Genealogy Chat

In December (yes i know im a tad premature!) im going to stay in the village where my nan and all her ancestors were raised. What things do i need to think about/take before i go? Im going to try and get all the addresses they were known to have lived at (one was the village post office so im hoping for a good hit with that one). Going to go to the village church and hopefully look up any BMDs there, going to the cemetary as well. Mum suggested putting a notice in the local village mag if they have one. At present there are only 700ish people living there so hopefully there might be at least one relative still living there.

Good idea putting a notice in the local parish magazine, you could put one in the post office or paper shop if you could find the addresses before you went. Also take a camera for photos of anything--houses, grave stones etc. Notebook for notes, or a digiphone if you don't want to keep scribbling. good hunting Gloria x

Robyne Remember to contact churches etc in advance - you will probably not be able to just 'walk in' and look up what you want. Google the village name and see if you can find the local parish mag in advance - try and get something in the November one so that hopefully anyone that wants to can contact you in advance and you can actually meet up with them whilst you're there. Also why not contact the local post office/shop in advance and ask if you sent them a poster - or something similar - asking for any information on the rellies you are looking for, would they be prepared to put it in their window for you - again so you can find them in advance. Church or CRO(thanks Merry!!!!!!) for plans / plot numbers of graveyards/cemetaries so you don't spend hours looking in the wrong places!!! Go through your notes and make a list of the people you believe are buried in which churchyard and the date they died - saves a lot of 'tooing and froing' with notes to work out who was there in a windy churchyard!! A digital camera, large notebook, waterproof folders (it's bound to be wet), wellington boots, warm jacket and gloves - no good going getting pneumonia in the search!!!!!!!!

Definitely look up the church on the internet as I did that and it had an email addy for the church warden. She was very into family history and we sat and went through all the registers she had together. In fact we are now quite close friends! As she said 'If it wasnt for your lot the register would be blank for most of the 18th/19th century'

Make sure it is not half day closing the day you are there I went to the village where an ancestors run the village pub once only to find it closed that day so I could not go inside. Have a great time and hope you find out lots. The local library is another good place to visit if they have one but if not I am sure the nearest one will have local information. Regards Irene

Robyn Would it be worth your while writing to one of the church wardens in advance, giving dates of your visit and arranging for help when you get there? (probably on church web site or just write to Churchwarden, name of village ….) Will be able to tell you dates of the registers still in use and location of earlier ones, incase you want to go to local record during visit.(Current registers will be locked away in church safe and you will need someone to provide access) Not all graves are marked, but our churchwarden keeps the plan and can help people find the right spot May have lived in village for some time and be able to give you information of relatives/friends/contacts of your family. Type in village name on a2a – also surnames you are interested in Get Ordnance survey map for area Happy hunting! Jay

Someone else has already mention it, try to take a street map of the place that you are going to. You would probably get one online. We went to Briton Ferry in South Wales where some of my lot came from and couldn't find the church because we didn't think to take a map. Gave us a good excuse to go back again anyway! Maggy

Hi Robyne, Where are you going to? Scotland ? If you go to Genealogy.com Type England or Scotland (wherever) in FORUM, click on DISTRICTS in this Country, Click on your district and post a message about your intent. I'm sure you will get lots of help that way, and maybe someone will do some leg work for you before you get there. I was amazed at how much help I received to a recent posting. Good Luck !!!! Margaret

Hi All thanks so much for this, im going to print it off and use it as my checklist. What is the Genealogy website called, i dont think im going to the right one

The post office in the village where I live has changed address twice during my lifetime, it is now in what was once the bakery so do your homework first, lol. Heather

Genealogy(.)com (remove the brackets) I couldn't figure out why the address didn't come out as I typed it. Didn't know that you had to use brackets. You learn something every day on this site !! Thanks.

As already suggested - an OS Map. Get an old map too of the period you are interested in - http://www(.)old-maps(.)co(.)uk/ (remove brackets) is my favourite for oldies. An A-Z can be invaluable, especially when the spellings might have changed a bit over the years. Check where the nearest records office is (opening times etc as already advised) because you may find youreself rushing off to check something. Don't forget to take ALL your notes relating to this side of the family. That scribble in the corner of your notes may prove to be the missing link. Happy hunting Vicky

Some houses may have been re named. An old map, as mentioned would help to locate them. Could someone put you in touch with an elderly resident, who will remember folk and their families? Village pubs can be useful too. I rang the landlord of the one opposite where my grandmother's cottage had stood and explained briefly my interest in possibly obtaining a photograph of the cottage. He agreed to put up a postcard in the bar, detailing my request. I now have a lovely photo of the cottage, which I remember well but it was demolished in 1960s.

All the above is brill!! Don't forget - don't be afraid to talk to people!! You would be surprised how interested people are in what you are doing and they often know little snippets that would never be in a book!! Merry

The village where I live has a community website which has a board not unlike this one which it calls a forum, and sometimes we get enquiries of a local historical nature, such as the location of a house which has long disappeared or changed its name. Maybe your village or a larger one nearby has something similar? If so it might be worth using it to enquire if anyone knows anything about your families. Could give you some leads or even contacts to follow up. Use Google with inurl: followed by the village name to look for a possible website.

It may be worthwhile contacting the village school (if one still exists). They may have old photos of classes. If they have a regular newsletter for parents, an entry may bring more people forward who remember your relatives. Just as a bye, did you know that vicars (C of E) are able to levy a fee for producing parish record for viewing. I looked it up a while ago and I think it was about 25 pounds. Enjoy your visit.

thanks so much for all your info, already started doing some of that so that im fully prepared! the village im looking at is Rattlesden in Suffolk, never heard of it before now but i cant wait to go